-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Once again , there are rumblings that the third - and fourth-largest U.S. wireless carriers may merge to form a larger combined No. 3 . But would this be enough to keep the U.S. wireless market competitive for consumers ?

Last week Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Telekom AG , the parent company of T-Mobile , is negotiating a possible sale of T-Mobile to Sprint Nextel Corp. .

According to The Hill and The Washington Post , some industry analysts believe the U.S. government would approve this merger . Rumors of this merger have been around since 2009 , when DT was eyeing a purchase of Sprint .

And last weekend , TMOnews reported on an ambiguous non-confirmation/non-denial memo sent to T-Mobile employees by CEO Philip Humm .

Given the nature of wireless networks and the current business landscape , T-Mobile probably needs to make some kind of major move if it hopes to survive in some form .

In the big picture , it takes a lot of capital to build out high-speed wireless broadband networks that can support an ever-growing number of data-hungry devices such as smartphones and tablets -- especially if streaming mobile video becomes popular , and if the Obama administration is serious about its national wireless initiative to make wireless broadband available to 98 % of the U.S. population .

Carriers with the largest customer base -- especially the most customers locked in to pricey two-year contracts -- are in the best financial position to build out their 4G networks .

Having those networks , in turn , makes the largest carriers even more likely to attract even more customers . And this is the economic dynamic that could turn the U.S. wireless market into a Verizon/AT & T duopoly , with only some discount carriers surviving on the fringes .

For U.S. mobile users , further wireless market consolidation is a good news/bad news situation . It offers the promise of ubiquitous high-speed wireless broadband networks available in markets outside major metro areas , which would lessen the geographic aspect of the mobile digital divide .

But just because wireless broadband is available in a region does n't mean everyone there can afford to use it . A less competitive wireless market could mean wireless broadband wo n't get much cheaper . And it could even get more costly , especially if tiered data plans become the norm -- which would make more sense for the carriers in a less competitive environment .

That would be bad news on the income/class front of the mobile digital divide .

Lately , T-Mobile has been taking a bit of a beating in the U.S. market . Bloomberg noted : `` T-Mobile ... has lost customers at an accelerated rate as it trailed rivals in building out a third-generation mobile network and missed out on being able to sell Apple 's iPhone . About 56,000 customers abandoned T-Mobile USA last year , while Sprint , AT&T and Verizon Wireless all boosted their counts . ''

Consequently , DT may not be pleased with what Sprint may be willing to offer for T-Mobile -- so who knows if this merger will happen .

Furthermore , a T-Mobile/Sprint merger might be difficult for technical reasons .

Wireless Week noted : `` T-Mobile currently markets its HSPA + network as 4G but lacks the bandwidth to deploy LTE or WiMAX . Sprint and T-Mobile use different network technology and operate on different spectrum bands , which would complicate a possible merger of the companies ' wireless services . ''

If T-Mobile hopes to survive intact , it 'll need access to much more bandwidth in more U.S. locations . So if the Sprint merger does n't happen , T-Mobile does have options -- mainly leasing additional spectrum or access to other providers ' networks , such as LightSquared , a wholesale-only wireless LTE network .

The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran .

@highlight

Deutsche Telekom AG is negotiating a possible sale of T-Mobile to Sprint Nextel Corp

@highlight

About 56,000 customers abandoned T-Mobile USA last year

@highlight

By contrast , Sprint , AT&T and Verizon Wireless all boosted their subscriber bases